As a young player coming out of a small school and finding himself behind two established veteran pass rushers in T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree, Alex Highsmith stuck to what he knew best entering the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers: putting his head down, going to work and letting his play on the field speak for him.
Now, entering his fourth season in the NFL as an established starter opposite Watt and fresh off signing a new four-year, $68 million deal, Highsmith finds himself pushed into a leadership role defensively for the Black and Gold. Stepping into that leadership role in 2023, Highsmith knows he needs to use his voice more.
Speaking with reporters Wednesday after reporting to training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Highsmith said he can’t just lead by example anymore; he needs to speak up more and embrace his role within the Steelers’ hierarchy.
“Yeah, for me I feel like I’ve always been a lead-by-example guy, but now being here going into Year Four I feel like I have to use my voice more and stuff,” Highsmith said, according to audio via 93.7 The Fan. “For me, it’s always been work hard and let guys know and see and lead by example. I feel like I’ve always been like that. But this year, I’ll be stepping up and being more vocal, but I’ve always been a lead-by-example guy and I’ll continue to stay that way.”
Coming off of his 14.5-sack season in 2022, Highsmith has very clearly established himself as a bona fide standout on the Steelers defense, let alone on the roster overall. He’s a perfect example of the Steeler Way, which is drafting and developing. Highsmith was largely overlooked in the 2020 NFL Draft coming out of Charlotte even though he went to the Senior Bowl and dominated there.
Eventually, he found himself on the Steelers’ radar and landed with Pittsburgh in the third round. Since then, he’s put his head down, gone to work and consistently gotten better year after year. He’s earned every penny of that extension he signed last week, and he’s put himself in a position to be a bit more vocal on a veteran-laden defense.
While he is a lead-by-example guy, he can step into that role defensively for the younger players that when he talks, you listen. That message can be impactful. Being that vocal leader in certain situations won’t change Highsmith either. At least that’s the vibe that comes off when listening to him. He’s still going to grind daily, put in the work, let his work do the talking on the field and lead that way. But he will have to take on a more vocal role now that he’s fully established defensively. He’s part of the new way of leadership in the Steel City, whether he’s ready for it or not.
